Bar Kada, the newest concept from Michael Collantes, has opened next door to his Michelin-starred omakase house, Soseki, at 957 W. Fairbanks Ave. in Winter Park. Bar Kada offers a selection of ancestral-method sakes, low-touch wines curated by sommelier Benjamin Coutts, and seasonal small plates utilizing local ingredients like tilefish and chips, tuna au poivre and corn dumplings, to name a few. Also, Collantes' downtown handroll joint, Sushi Saint, has unveiled its Omakase Room, an eight-seat counter offering a 12-course tasting for $100 ..read more

Popular Ivanhoe Village restaurant and catering company The Hammered Lamb is facing declines in business after an incorrect health inspection report was released and shared by the Orlando Sentinel. The Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation uploaded data March 25 from an inspection performed days prior that should have been assigned to Ethos Vegan Kitchen in Winter Park. The Hammered Lamb was neither inspected nor shut down that week ..read more

Ricky Ly of TastyChomps.com is staging a fundraiser for World Central Kitchen, a humanitarian organization headed up by chef José Andrés, after the killing of seven of their aid workers by Israel Defense Forces. A silent auction is also being held, with numerous items and experiences up for bid. Visit tastychompsorlando.betterworld.org for more ..read more

The Kanpai of Tokyo space that sat vacant for years at 6687 S. Kirkman Road will soon get a new tenant in the revitalized Olinda Center. Sushi Yama, serving all-you-can-eat sushi and hibachi as well as other Japanese dishes like udon and soba noodles, will open April 15 ..read more

Television cooking personality and chef Fabio Viviani is setting up shop in Orlando with a new location of his restaurant, Chuck Lager America’s Tavern, open now. TheTop Chef contestant and Fabio's Kitchen host looks to bring guests along on a culinary journey at Chuck Lager, which serves American classics at 8151 International Drive. The restaurant is based on the globe-trotting adventures of one Chuck Lager — who may or may not be a real person — and stays true to its American “melting pot” theme by blending flavors from around the world ..read more

It's no secret that Euro-centric tasting menu restaurants and Japanese-leaning establishments get the so-called "inspectors" at the Michelin Guide all wet and randy, and today's announcement does nothing to change the perception. The tire company announced four new Bib Gourmand recipients, that is, establishments offering "a meal of good quality at a good value," with two Orlando restaurants named to the list: Sushi Saint and Zaru. When I reviewed Sushi Saint, a concept from Michael Collantes whose omakase restaurant, Soseki, has earned a Michelin star, I noted that the downtown bar and loung ..read more

The final showdown for local food trucks competing in the fierce face-off that is the Foodie Choice Awards happens this month at Kaya. Hosted by the Orlando Hospitality Alliance and Orlando Local Makers, the Foodie Choice Awards brings out the seven finalists from last year's food truck and pop-up competition series to vie for the top spot among local foodies. The competition will make its final stop at Kaya, the Filipino Mills 50 restaurant that this month scored a James Beard Award nomination for Best New Restaurant 2024 ..read more

OK, it's not Eataly, the sprawling complex of Italian goods and eateries housed under one roof with more than 40 locations around the globe but, rather, Eataly, a pizza joint taking the place of another pizza joint that took the place of a pizza joint. Before that, it was a pizza joint. Anyway, if the red-and-white banner on the corner of Princeton Street and Edgewater Drive is any indication, College Park Eataly Pizza will move into the recently shuttered Anthony's Pizza space at 2124 Edgewater Drive ..read more

The 20th Dinner on the Avenue happens at 6 p.m. Saturday, April 6, on Park Avenue in Winter Park, and the entire street will be closed to traffic from New England Avenue to Morse Boulevard ..read more

Popular Mount Dora eatery Wave Asian Bistro & Sushi is poised to open its second location inside the Maitland Social at 360 E. Horatio Ave. in four weeks' time. The 1,373-square-foot space will also feature a 500-square-foot outdoor patio ..read more